3 Tenn. ROTC programs to be discontinued

Nov. 3, 2013 - 02:53PM
|

NASHVILLE, TENN. — The Army is discontinuing ROTC programs at three Tennessee universities.

The Tennessean reports the officer-training programs at Tennessee Tech University, East Tennessee State University and the University of Tennessee at Martin are among 13 programs in the nation that the U.S. Department of Defense is closing.

Nationwide, more than 1,300 universities train about 33,000 ROTC cadets.

The Army recently announced the closures as part of a broader push to update the ROTC training program and diversify recruiting.

Tennessee Tech University President Phil Oldham bemoaned the decision in a blog post, saying the university was “not consulted or notified prior to or during this review.”

“I completely disagree with the conclusion drawn behind closed doors, but I am even more justifiably angry and saddened by the process itself,” he wrote. “With more than 60 years of commitment to producing many of the U.S. military’s best leaders, Tennessee Tech has earned the respect and common courtesy of due process.”

Tennessee Tech has 69 cadets in the program, and has graduated 1,662 commissioned officers since 1950.